Combination-plate.



J. L. SATKA.

COMBINATION PLATE. APPLICATION FILED MAE.22, 1913.

1,077,643. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WITNESSES INVENTOR COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, n. c.

J. L. SATKA.

COMBINATION PLATE.

AP]E LIGATION FILED MARJ22, 1913.

1,077,643. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

J. L. SATKA.

COMBINATION PLATE.

APPLICATION IILIBD MAR.22, 1913.

1,077,643, Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES INVENTOR COLUMBIA PMNOGRAPH CO.,WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT UFFIQE.

JOHN L. SA'IKA, 0F WINONA, MINNESOTA.

COMBINATION-PLATE.

To all whom 2'25 may concern Be it known that I, JOHN L. SATKA, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Vinona, in the county of Winona and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combination-Plates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a plate which is intended to be used in connection with the sliding door of a box car.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a protecting plate for the lower corners ofthe door so that when opening and closing the door the lower corner portion will be prevented from being broken by striking the guiding brackets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protector plate which will prevent the lower corner of the door from being dam aged when attempting to open the door with what is known as a barrel skid.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attachment which is connected with the protector plate and forms a guide for the lower portion of the door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protector plate which will also form a handle by means of which the door may be easily opened, and which is so located that parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a view showing the box car door in elevation and provided with the improved protecting plates for its lower corners. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower portion of a box car and side door, the door being provided with the improved protector plate.

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the inner face of the protecting plate shown in Fig. 2. Fig.

4 is a sectional view along the line l4, in.

Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the protector shown in Fig. 2 having an attachment connected therewith for guiding the lower portion of the door. Fig. 6 is a View Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 22, 1913.

Patented Nov. 4,1913.

Serial. No. 756,201.

in elevation looking at the inner face of the guiding attachmentshown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a sideelevation of the guiding attachment. Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Fig. 5, and showing the protecting plate and guiding attachment connected with the car door. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the protecting plate mounted upon the lower right hand corner of the door in Fig. 1 with a modified form of guiding attachment connected therewith. Fig. 10 is a section along the line 10-10, in Fig. 9 with the protecting plate connected with the=car door. Fig. 11 is a sectional view through the guiding attachment shownin Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a view showing a blank from which the protecting plate shown in Fig. 2 can be formed.

This invention is intended to prevent clamage done to the lower corners of box car doors by the corners striking the guiding brackets and by the doors becoming jammed so that it is diflicult to open them. When a door becomes jammed the trainmen have to raise one corner and push the door in order to open the same. When doing this the fingersand hands of the men are very often cut or otherwise injured, thereby making this form very dangerous. It also very often happens that the door cannot be opened in this manner and it is, therefore, necessary to take what is known as a'barrel skid and by striking the lower portion of the door with it drive the door open. In doing this the lower corner portion of the door is broken, thereby making it necessary to have the door repaired. By using the improved protecting device shown in the accompanying drawings the lower corners of the door will be pro tected, and the door may be grasped at the lower corner instead of in the middle, thus making it a great deal easier to open the door.

In the accompanying drawings numeral 10 designates the box car which is provided with a door 11 slidably mounted upon the track 12 by means of the hangers 13. Guiding brackets 14 are secured to the car beneath the door and afiord means for holding the lower end portion of the door close to the car. An abutment strip 15 is secured to the car and prevents the door from moving in one direction beyond a desired amount.

The protector plate 16 is triangular in shape and is provided with the flanges 17 and 18 which extend along the edges of the door and carry lugs 19 which ext-end into pockets 20 formed in the inner face of the door, thus preventing the plate from very readily working loose. This plate is provided with openings 21 extending through lugs 22, which lugs fit into pocket-s 23 formed in the door. By having the plate provided with these lugs 22 the force of a blow striking the plate is taken up by these lugs, and thus the bolts 24 which pass through the door and openings 21 to secure the plate to the door are prevented from being bent or broken. The corners of the plate are beveled as shown at 25 so that if the plate strikes the guiding brackets 14 it will receive a glancing blow and thus the plate'prevented from being knocked loose. A handle 26 extends from the curved edge of the plate and affords means whereby the door may be engaged when opening the same.

In Fig. 1 there has been shown dotted lines which indicate the direction in which the strain will be exerted when opening the door. It is, of course, understood that when this door is opened that the strain will be directed principally in the direction of a diagonal line, thereby raising the hanger 13 slightly and preventingthe door from jamming.

When it is desired to use this device with a door provided with a lower track as well as an upper one the guiding attachment shown in Fig. 5 may be connected with the protecting plate. This guiding plate 27 is held in place by the bolts 24 passing through the openings 28 in its upper corners and is provided with a lower flange 29 extending beneath the flange 18 and carrying lugs 30 extending through openings 31 formed in the flange 18 of the protecting plate. This flange 18 extends above the lower track for the door and is provided with strips 32 and 33. forming a slot 34 through which the track passes. Bracing webs 35 which are themselves braced by a web 36 are provided to reinforce the outer guiding strip 33, thus preventing the strip from being broken. If the door is not provided with a lower track, but is only provided with the guiding brackets 14 the guiding plate shown in Fig. 5 is omitted and that shown in Fig. 9 is used. This plate 37 is secured at its upper end by one of the bolts 24 and is provided with a reinforcing rib 38 having an opening 39 formed therethrough. A bolt 40 passes through one of the openings 41 in the plate 16 and through the opening 39 to assist in holding the plate 37 in position. It should be noted that the inner end portion of the opening 39 is squared as shown in Fig. 11, thereby permitting the squared inner end portion of the bolt 40 to pass into this squared portion of the opening 39, and thus prevented from having any rotation. A curved flange 42 is formed at the lower end of the plate 37 and carries a lug 43 which extends into one of the openings 44 formed in the edge of the plate 16. These lugs remove the strain from the bolts 24 and 40 when the flange 42 strikes one of the brackets 14. It should be noted that the flange 42 is curved to cause the flange to receive a glancing blow and to cause the door to be swung in toward the car when the flange strikes the bracket.

In Fig. 12 there has been shown a blank from which the plate 16 may be formed,

thus permitting this plate to be formed of.

sheet metal instead of cast. The body portion 45 of the blank is bent along the dotted lines 46 to form the side flanges 47 and 48 corresponding to the flanges 17 and 18. A

tongue 49 extends from the curved edge of i the blank and is intended to be bent along the line 50, and having its outer end portion 51 rolled to form the handle corresponding to the handle 26. Openings are formed in the blank to permit the bolts to pass through, and tongues 52 are provided to form the securing tongues corresponding with the tongues 19.

The operation of this device is as follows: The protecting plate is secured to the door by means of the bolts24, and if desired the guiding and protecting devices shown in Figs. 5 and 9 may be omitted. If it is desired to provide the door with means for engaging a lower guiding track the device shown in Fig. 5 may be applied, and if it is desired to provide the plate with means for engaging the brackets 14 and throwing the door inwardly the device shown in Fig. 9 may be applied. f

Having thus described the invention what i is claimed as new is 1. A device of the character described comprising a body portion, flanges extending from said body portion, one of saidflanges being provided with a plurality of openings, a guiding plate secured to said body portion, a flange extending from said guiding plate beneath the flange of said body portion, securing lugs extending from the flange of said guiding plate and extending through the openings formed in they flange of said body portion, and ribs extending from the flange of said guiding plate and forming a groove.

2. In combination with a door, a protects ing plate fitting upon one of the lower corner portions of said door, a guiding plate removably connected. with said protecting plate, and common means for securing the protecting plate to the door and connecting the guiding plate with the protecting plate.

3. In combination with a door, a protecting plate for one of the lower corners of said door, said protecting plate being provided with a plurality of openings, an

auxiliary plate fitting against said guiding plate and provided with securing lugs ex- 5 said protecting plate.

4. In a device of the character described, a protecting plate, an auxiliary plate fitting against said guiding plate, said auxiliary plate comprising a body portion, a curved 10 guiding flange extending from said body portion, a reinforcing rib extending from said body portion, and a securing bolt connect ing said body portion with said protecting plate and passing through the reinforcing rib carried by said body portion.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN L. SATKA.

VVit-nesses:

ROBERT E. LooBY, HENRY M. LAMBERTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

